Summarizer

Sure. I mean: I've got some MREs in the pantry along with some other shelf-stable food, and I've got some water stored (primarily to fill empty space in the chest freezer for various practical reasons, but it exists). I keep some basic first aid and survival stuff in the car (bandages, space blankets, stuff to catch fish with, stuff to cook with). I've got my camping gear, including a small off-grid solar power system, stored in organized totes that can be loaded up very quickly. And I try to keep a minimum of a couple hundred miles worth of fuel in the gas tank at all times. I do these things just in case. The bulkiest items see frequent use. None of this cost me very much to buy, or to maintain. And none of these things can replace the lifestyle I've come to expect, but they might be able to buy me some time. Can we afford to have a spare copy of the hard-to-produce parts of the electrical grid sitting in a warehouse? Would we even want to rebuild the grid in the same shape if the shit really hit the fan and we had to start it over from scratch?

Yet another good reason for at-home solar and storage.

Does very little to offset things like no power for hospitals, refrigerated food distribution, manufacturing of almost anything.

Also the sewer system backs up after about a week because the pumping and lift stations need power to operate. The water system shuts down because the tanks aren't reserve supply they're pressure support. And solar plus storage will keep you running for maybe a week if you're conservative and mostly don't use anything...which doesn't help you if it's months till replacement.

solar + storage + water sheath fireplace can run pretty much till you run out of wood. But yes, unless you spend serious money (own sewer, water from underground etc), it's basically solution for "the power pole is down", not any grid wide problems.

> unless you spend serious money (own sewer, water from underground etc) It is often the case (at least where I live) that having a septic system and well is far more economical than obtaining a property with access to city utilities.

I mean "run out of wood" is the problem though. There aren't that many trees, certainly not enough for everyone in a region to start doing it. You'd be better off with an air sourced hear pump for hot water anyway - the one in my house uses less power then my dehumidifier.

> no power for hospitals Which have days worth of backup generator power > refrigerated food distribution Do you think refrigerated trucks trail big long extension leads to a socket somewhere?

Way stations still need power to accept and refrigerate shipments. Distribution isn't just on trucks - although they could act as a small stopgap that also prevents them from making deliveries while being used as storage.